KIRKUS REVIEW

The perils of imagination reach
their peak when a little girl unleashes an extraordinary ability.

The daughter of two sane, sedate,
dull-as-dishwater parents, pale-skinned, red-haired Poppy Pickle cultivates a
magnificent imagination that goes unappreciated. Sent to clean her room, Poppy
instead discovers that she now has the ability to bring whatever she imagines
to life. From a monocled mammoth and a “philosophical beaver” to an “uptight
garden gnome,” Poppy allows her thoughts to go wild. Too wild, as it happens.
All methods of dispersing the loony troupe prove ineffective, until Poppy
imagines something simple: a door. Her parents, aghast at the wreckage left
behind in her room, don’t believe a word of Poppy’s explanation. That is, until
that monocled mammoth makes a significant reappearance. Poppy’s desperation to
hide her horde is a bit inexplicable, as she’s clearly in more trouble without them
than with them. That quibble aside, Yarlett renders Poppy as an irrepressible
and irresistible ball of energy. There’s little difficulty believing she’d
conjure up a ghost octopus (or “ghostopus”) given half the chance. The art,
akin to that of Oliver Jeffers, is filled with tiny details that also add to the
fun, and the creatures’ dialogue, spoken in bubbles, will elicit chuckles.

Moral of the story: an excess of
imagination may get you into trouble, but it’s clearly worth it. (Picture
book. 4-6)

Be the first to discover new talent!
Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.